Homemade Easy Strawberry Rhubarb Pie is the perfect balance of sweet fresh strawberries and tart rhubarb. This is an incredibly delicious pie that is a favorite early summer dessert recipe. Whether you're hosting a gathering, need a dessert for a picnic, or simply treating yourself, this irresistible fruit pie will be the star of any occasion.
Classic Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
This classic pie is a popular summer dessert recipe, featuring a flaky pie crust enveloping a vibrant fruit filling. One of our favorite pies!
When the bright flavors of tangy rhubarb and sweet strawberries combine, the result is a mouthwatering dessert that is the essence of summer.
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie filling nestled in a flaky crust is a classic dessert that brings a smile with every bite. A perfect balance of tart and sweet.
When strawberries are in season, we like to pick them at the local berry farm, or grab a bunch from the farmers market and stock up on them. Then we make pies and other yummy strawberry desserts.
I like to use them to make Strawberry Loaf Cake or two, and my family goes crazy when I make our favorite Old Fashioned Strawberry Shortcake! It’s a classic and is always a hit.
Strawberries and rhubarb really are the perfect blend of sweetness and tartness from the two ingredients. They compliment each other so well that it is only natural to make a pie using them both.
Ingredients to Make This Scrumptious Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Recipe
• Fresh Rhubarb
• Strawberry Halves
• Granulated Sugar
• Cornstarch
• Salt
• Vanilla Extract
• Unsalted Butter
• Refrigerated Pie Shell - Or use a homemade pie crust (for a two-crust pie)
• Large Egg
• Milk
Does the Rhubarb Need to be Peeled?
- When it comes to using rhubarb in a pie, it's not necessary to peel the rhubarb stalks. Rhubarb skin is thin and tender, and it adds a nice color to the pie filling. The skin also contains some beneficial nutrients.
- However, if the rhubarb stalks have any tough or fibrous strings, which can happen with larger, more mature rhubarb stalks, you can remove them by gently pulling them off or peeling them with a vegetable peeler.
Can Frozen Rhubarb and Frozen Strawberries be Used?
One thing I love about this pie recipe is that you can use fresh or frozen rhubarb. You don’t have to wait until rhubarb season to make this flavorful pie.
- Yes, frozen rhubarb and strawberries can be used in this recipe. If using frozen fruit, there are some adjustments to make:
- Thaw the Frozen Fruit: Allow the frozen rhubarb and strawberries to thaw completely and drain off any excess liquid. Do this by placing it in a colander or strainer and letting it sit until thawed.
- Adjust the Amount of Cornstarch: Frozen fruit might release more moisture than fresh fruit. To compensate for this, slightly increase the amount of cornstarch by adding an additional 1 to 2 Tablespoons. This will help absorb the extra liquid and thicken the filling.
- Adjust Sweetness: Frozen rhubarb can sometimes be more tart than fresh rhubarb, you may want to taste the filling mixture and adjust the amount of sugar to taste. Add a little more sugar if desired to balance the tartness of the rhubarb.
How Do You Keep Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie From Being Runny?
- There are a few ways to help prevent your Strawberry Rhubarb Pie from being runny. Here are a few ideas to keep in mind:
- Use the right amount of cornstarch as directed in the recipe.
- Drain off excess liquid from the macerated fruit before adding it to the pie crust.
- Avoid overloading the pie with fruit.
- Allow the pie to cool for at least 3 hours to let it set properly.
What is the Best Thickener for Strawberry Rhubarb Pie?
- Cornstarch is commonly used to thicken strawberry rhubarb pie filling. It thickens up fruit juices nicely by absorbing excess liquid released by the fruits while baking, but doesn’t make them lose their flavor or coloring.
- If you prefer an alternative to cornstarch, you can use tapioca starch or instant tapioca pearls. Tapioca starch provides a similar thickening effect as cornstarch and can be substituted in equal amounts.
- Another option is using all purpose flour as a thickening agent. While flour is not as effective at creating a glossy and clear filling compared to cornstarch or tapioca starch, it can still provide decent results. Use about twice the amount of flour than cornstarch, as it requires more to achieve the same thickening power.
How to Make The Best Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
1. In a large bowl, add the rhubarb, strawberries, and mix sugar in. Allow the mixture to sit for 30 minutes, allowing the fruits to release their juices and flavors.
2. Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C) and lightly grease a pie pan with cooking spray.
3. Unroll one of the pie crusts (or roll out homemade pie dough to fit pie pan) and gently place it into the prepared pie dish, pressing it tp the sides to form the bottom crust of the pie.
4. Stir the cornstarch, salt, and vanilla extract into the rhubarb and strawberry mixture until well combined. Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust.
5. Distribute the pieces of unsalted butter over the filling.
6. Unroll the second pie crust and cut it into strips (if making a lattice crust). Weave the strips into a lattice pattern across the top of the pie, creating a beautiful and traditional design (if leaving top crust whole, just put it on and cut a few steam vents in the crust).
7. To seal and crimp edges together, use two fingers on the outside of the crust and press your thumb between them. Trim the excess.
8. In a small bowl, beat the egg and milk together to create an egg wash. Brush the egg wash over the lattice top (or whole top crust), to provide a golden finish to the pie.
9. Place the pie in the preheated oven on a cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes. After this initial baking period, remove the pie from the oven and cover the edges with aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning while the pie bakes.
10. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C) and return the pie to the oven. Continue baking for an additional 40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling and thickened.
11. Once baked, carefully remove the pie from the oven and let the pie cool for at least 3 hours. This cooling period allows the pie to set up, ensuring a nice consistency.
How Do You Know When Strawberry Rhubarb Pie is Done?
- Just like with other fruit pies, the top crust of your Strawberry Rhubarb Pie will be a beautiful golden brown color.
- You should also be able to see the filling bubbling around the pie crust edges and in the vents that you created on the top of the pie.
- It’s helpful to let the filling bubble for about 5 minutes in the oven before removing the pie to make sure that it bakes all the way through.
More Easy Dessert Recipes
Serving this dessert is great all on its own, but you can add a few other pies, or other desserts to add more varieties for your guests to choose from!
Easy Blueberry Pie Recipe
Lemon Meringue Pie
Cherry Pie Bars
Fruit Cocktail Cake
Lemon Strawberry Poke Cake
What to Serve With Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
This tasty pie is great to enjoy a slice of with whipped cream on top. This is also the best pie to serve a scoop of vanilla ice cream with.
How to Store Leftover Pie
- To store your leftover pie, wrap it with plastic wrap and keep it in the fridge for up to 6 days. You can also opt to store it on the counter at room temperature for 3 days, just be sure to wrap it tightly.
- To Freeze it, wrap your pie in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil and place it in a freezer-safe bag and freeze it for up to 3 months.
- Simply remove it from the freezer and let it thaw in the fridge overnight before serving.
How to Reheat Rhubarb Pie
You can reheat a single slice in the microwave or oven. You can also reheat the entire pie or a few pieces in the oven for a few minutes on the warm setting until warmed through.
Easy Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Tips and Variations
- You can swap out the strawberries for other fruits to pair with the rhubarb, if desired. Some other ideas are plums, apples, other berries, and peaches.
- This pie freezes well, so I like to make a double batch, enjoy one of the pies now and freeze one for later.
- This pie is an easy recipe as written, using a premade pie crust from the Grocery Store. But if you enjoy making your own homemade pie crust, you can absolutely do that too!
- For best results, make sure to cut vents on the top of the pie crust so it can release steam and excess moisture while baking.
- It’s very helpful to place your pie baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet so it can catch any pie drippings that may happen as it bakes.
- Cutting the strips for the lattice pie crust is easier if you use a pizza cutter to cut the pie crust. This works with both homemade and store-bought pie crust options.
We think that this is the best strawberry rhubarb pie recipe, and hope that you do too. If you make this delicious fruit pie recipe, please let me know. Just leave a comment with a star rating below.
Easy Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
Equipment
- Pie Dish
- Baking Sheet Pan
Ingredients
- 2 cups Rhubarb (cut into one-inch pieces)
- 3 cups Strawberry Halves
- 1 cup Sugar
- ¼ cup Cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla
- 3 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter cut into pieces
- 1 box Refrigerated Pie Crust (or homemade crust)
- 1 large Egg beaten
- 1 teaspoon Milk
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the rhubarb, strawberries and sugar together and let sit for 30 minutes.
- Heat the oven to 425° and spray a pie pan with cooking spray.
- Unroll one of the pie crusts and lay in the pie pan, pressing into the edges.
- Stir the cornstarch, salt and vanilla into the rhubarb, then pour into the pie crust. Place small pieces of the butter around the the top of the filling.
- Unroll the second pie crust and cut strips, then weave them into a lattice pattern across the top of the filling (or leave it uncut and just cut a few slits in it for steam vents).
- Use 2 fingers on the outside of the crust and press your thumb between them to seal and crimp the edges together.
- Beat the egg and milk together and brush over the pie crust.
- Place pie in the oven on the baking sheet for 15 minutes.
- Remove the pie and cover the edges of the crust with foil. Reduce the oven temp. to 350°F and place the pie back in the oven to bake for an additional 40 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
- Remove from the oven and cool for 3 hours before serving.
Notes
Storage
Cover well with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for 7 days or on the counter for 3 days.Freeze up to 3 months.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!